Tag: Court McGee

UFC on FOX 9 Results: Johnson Devastates Benavidez via Brutal KO, Faber Dominates and Submits McDonald


(And that’s the end of that chapter. Photo via Getty)

For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.

The notable happenings on the prelims.

Sam Stout out-pointed Cody McKenzie, tenderizing the grappler’s liver and body throughout the 15-minute contest. The bashing of McKenzie’s body wasn’t the most interesting part though. No, the most interesting highlight from the fight was McKenzie wearing sponsor-less shorts with the price tag still hanging off them. Apparently, he showed up without shorts or even a mouthpiece. Pretty sad.

Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?

Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).

Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.

In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.

Get the main card recap after the jump.


(And that’s the end of that chapter. / Photo via Getty)

For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.

The notable happenings on the prelims:

Sam Stout out-pointed Cody McKenzie, tenderizing the grappler’s liver and body throughout the 15-minute contest. The bashing of McKenzie’s body wasn’t the most interesting part though. No, the most interesting highlight from the fight was McKenzie wearing sponsor-less shorts with the price tag still hanging off them. Apparently, he showed up without shorts or even a mouthpiece. Pretty sad.

Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?

Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).

Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.

In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.

The once-much-better main card began with a mismatch (though it was fun to watch). Joe Lauzon brutalized the hopelessly outmatched Mac Danzig for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a bloody affair. Lauzon tempered his intensity with caution, not over-pursuing any finishes. Instead, he remained content with control and moderate amounts of damage that snowballed into the end result: Danzig’s face looking like it had gone through a wood chipper.

Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz faced off next. Mendes was his normal studly self early on, but succumbed to the fight’s pace. He won the fight via UD. It wasn’t the prettiest performance though. During a post-fight news blurb on FOX, Ariel Helwani claimed Mendes had a sinus infection (I think that’s the first time we’ve heard that excuse), so maybe that explains it.

The co-main event of the evening pitted Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald. The 22-year-old McDonald was out of his depth. Faber took the first round easily enough. In the second, “The California Kid” stunned McDonald and swarmed him. After a few punches against the staggered McDonald, Faber scored a guillotine finish. It was an excellent display of killer instinct. Faber became an animal when he saw McDonald was hurt.

The main event ended in unbelievable fashion. Demetrious Johnson landed a right hook that lawnchair’d Joseph Benavidez in the first round. It’s undoubtedly the most incredible KO in flyweight history and will likely stay that way for quite some time.

TL;DR – UFC on FOX 9 was supposed to be an incredible free card that demanded our attention. It was still fun due to the performances on the main card, but it could’ve been so much more had the plague of injuries never happened.

Complete Results:

Main Card

Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (punch), 2:08 of Round 1
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine), 3:22 of Round 2
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes), 1:35 of Round 2
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Daren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC on Fox 9: It’s One Step at a Time for the Resilient Court McGee

As fighters continue to find success under the bright lights of the UFC and their profiles rise in the realm of public perception, it’s easy to lose things in the shuffle. For recently turned, yet ever-scrappy, welterweight Court McGee, the potent…

As fighters continue to find success under the bright lights of the UFC and their profiles rise in the realm of public perception, it’s easy to lose things in the shuffle. For recently turned, yet ever-scrappy, welterweight Court McGee, the potential to be led astray by the chaos is tempered by his ability take things one step at a time.

If that sounds simplistic, that’s because it is. And that is the only way it can be for McGee as he moves forward through his career in mixed martial arts.

“The most important thing for me is to not look too far ahead,” McGee told Bleacher Report. “Sometimes you get caught up in what could happen or what may happen. But if it hasn’t happened yet, then I’m wasting energy just thinking about it. What I can do is show every day and do my best and that ensures the next day I’ll be ready to go. People ask me all the time what I want to do next or who I want to fight, but the most important thing for me is right now. I keep things simple and look at it one day at a time because you never know what is going to happen.

“I was cornering somebody on a card once and during the weight cut, a guy slipped and hit his head while cutting weight in the sauna. You never know, man. If I’m sitting here thinking about fighting a top-10 guy then I’m not focused on what I have directly in front of me. I can’t be thinking about what is potentially down the road when I haven’t even fought this fight yet. I haven’t even made weight yet and I have so much on my plate that needs my attention that I can’t waste energy on thinking about what could happen down the line.”

“I have a lot to focus on right now and I have a lot of great things in my life,” he added. “I have a beautiful wife and I have two great boys. I have a career in the UFC and the most important thing for me is to stay focused on today because that gives me the ability to show up when it’s time to show up.”

The Utah native and Pit-elevated fighter jumped out to a solid start after winning the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter. After defeating Kris McCray to earn the six-figure contract, the 28-year-old picked up two more wins and began to establish himself in the middleweight division in the process. But setbacks in his next two outings would force McGee to take a look at how he was approaching things. It would lead him to pull the trigger on making a move he had been thinking about since early 2012—making way for the welterweight division.

The decision proved to be a wise one as McGee picked up victories in his first two outings at 170 pounds. He defeated veteran Josh Neer in his divisional debut at UFC 157 back in February, then followed up that performance by edging out fellow TUF alum Robert Whitaker at Fight Night 27 in Indianapolis. While earning those victories proved McGee could be successful in his new weight class, the intensity of his performances also served to show his gritty, grinding style could be just as effective in a new division.

“Every fight is a learning experience whether you win or lose,” McGee said. “I had thought about dropping to 170 back before I fought in Australia in March of last year. I had been thinking about it before but some things do cross your mind because you’re carrying a little bit of extra weight, are going to have a little bit harder of a weight cut and you wonder how that is going to affect your gas tank. I just had to make sure I stayed really focused throughout my camps and in-between training on my diet. 

“I’m getting more used to it but it’s definitely difficult. The portion sizes are a lot smaller but I have a good variety of food to choose from. I also have some great help from Perfecting Athletes. They’ve helped me out quite a bit and given me tips and hints on how to eat. It’s really made a huge difference and has made a difficult process a lot easier.”

With back-to-back victories under his belt, his focus now turns to his upcoming bout against Ryan LaFlare this weekend at UFC on Fox 9 in Sacramento. Where he was originally slated to face Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night, the TUF 17 winner suffered an injury and was forced out of the fight. Recent promotional newcomer Laflare stepped up to take the bout on short notice, and McGee had a new fight on his hands.

While the last-minute change of opponent could have been a hectic situation, McGee’s outlook and perspective are custom-made for the unpredictable nature of MMA.

“I don’t know, man. I don’t watch a lot of video and I don’t research the guy I’m fighting because I never train for one specific guy. And it’s partly for the purpose we are talking about. You never know what is going to happen. That’s why I look at things the way I do. If I train for one specific guy and style, then I go out there and lose because I was only focusing on one thing; how is that going to make me a better mixed martial artist? 

“I gear my training so that I get better at every aspect of the game. I try to constantly improve all the time so if there is a wrench thrown in, it doesn’t screw up my entire game. I try to keep it as simple as possible where I try to constantly improve and always be learning. It’s worked out pretty good for me so far. Then when these things do happen, and this guy is a little taller or he’s better than the other guy at this or that, I don’t have these big huge changes to make. When you prepare for anybody and everybody, things of this nature aren’t a huge shocker other than being unfortunate for the person that got injured.”

If McGee can continue his streak of success and defeat LaFlare on Saturday night, he will take a definitive step towards establishing his footing in the welterweight division. A win at UFC on Fox 9 won’t catapult him into the top 10 of the weight class, but it will certainly provide the type of momentum he will need to travel further into what is arguably the UFC’s most stacked division.

While there are certainly other talented collectives under the UFC banner, no weight class boasts the amount of potential title contenders that the welterweight division currently enjoys. McGee knows he’s a few steps away from getting to the deep end of the pool, but he’s willing to run through whoever the promotions put in front of him to get there.

“Here I come,” McGee said in regard to the talent-stacked welterweight division. “If you are going to be fighting in this sport you have to be ready to do whatever it takes. You only get one shot at this thing, and whether it is in this weight division or another, it doesn’t matter. They might as well line up the tough ones for me. 

“There are no slouches or easy fights in the UFC. You always have to be on top of your game and be improving just to compete. But I didn’t come here just to compete; I came here to fight and win. I came here to do the best that I can and I’m grateful to have the opportunity.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Curse is On: Kelvin Gastelum *and* Jamie Varner Pull Out of UFC on FOX 9 With Injuries [UPDATED]


(“You think that was impressive? I once beat a guy whose hype train was THIS BIG!” Photo via Getty.) 

Not this shit again.

UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson Johnson vs. Benavidez II may not go down until December 14th, but if the injuries keep piling up at their current pace, THERE’S NOT EVEN GOING TO *BE* A DECEMBER. (*cue dramatic gopher*)

First, we informed you that newly-crowned lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was forced out of the evening’s main event with a(nother) knee injury. Then, we broke the sad news that everyone’s favorite homeless-bashing creepster, Ian McCall, was pulled from the card due to a hand injury. And now, MMAJunkie passes along word that both TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum *and* former WEC champ Jamie Varner have been bitten by the injury bug as well, leaving Court McGee and Pat Healy, respectively, without opponents for the event.

As of this write-up, neither fighter’s camp has disclosed an official injury or a timetable for Gastelum or Varner’s return. Our theory: Gastelum and Varner, besties for lyfe, snuck off to London to see the Catching Fire premiere and attend a scrapbooking workshop. Unicorn stickers will abound.

We are currently reaching out to Nate Diaz for a comment on why the UFC continues to “pay these pussys,” but for now, we can only suggest that any current UFC on FOX 9 ticket holder starts burning sage to cleanse the card of evil spirits.

[UPDATE]


(“You think that was impressive? I once beat a guy whose hype train was THIS BIG!” Photo via Getty.) 

Not this shit again.

UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson Johnson vs. Benavidez II may not go down until December 14th, but if the injuries keep piling up at their current pace, THERE’S NOT EVEN GOING TO *BE* A DECEMBER. (*cue dramatic gopher*)

First, we informed you that newly-crowned lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was forced out of the evening’s main event with a(nother) knee injury. Then, we broke the sad news that everyone’s favorite homeless-bashing creepster, Ian McCall, was pulled from the card due to a hand injury. And now, MMAJunkie passes along word that both TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum *and* former WEC champ Jamie Varner have been bitten by the injury bug as well, leaving Court McGee and Pat Healy, respectively, without opponents for the event.

As of this write-up, neither fighter’s camp has disclosed an official injury or a timetable for Gastelum or Varner’s return. Our theory: Gastelum and Varner, besties for lyfe, snuck off to London to see the Catching Fire premiere and attend a scrapbooking workshop. Unicorn stickers will abound.

We are currently reaching out to Nate Diaz for a comment on why the UFC continues to “pay these pussys,” but for now, we can only suggest that any current UFC on FOX 9 ticket holder starts burning sage to cleanse the card of evil spirits.

[UPDATE]

Gastelum updates us on the extent of his injury via Twitter. Still no word on Varner.

[UP-UPDATE] 

Following in line with Gastelum, Varner just broke the news that he tore his rotator cuff training via Twitter, but has “already started rehab” and will undergo another MRI in six weeks. Stepping in for Varner against Healy will be Bobby Green, who is fresh off a TKO (low, low kicks) over James Krause at Fight for the Troops 3. Just as intriguing a fight as the original, in my opinion, if not more intriguing.

–J. Jones

TUF Winners Kelvin Gastelum and Court McGee Collide at UFC on FOX 9 in December


(Gastelum celebrates after beating the brakes off Brian Melancon at Fight Night 27. Photo via Getty Images) 

Earlier today, UFC officials announced that TUF winners Kelvin Gastelum (season 17) and Court McGee (season 11) have been booked to face one another at UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson. Featuring a pair of guaranteed barnburners in Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown and Ian McCall vs. Scott Jorgensen, as well as Joe Lauzon vs. Mac Danzig and Chad Mendes vs. Nik Lentz, UFC on FOX 9 transpires at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento on December 14th.

The matchup is the latest in the long history of TUF winners fighting one another — the inaugural fight being Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping‘s headlining scrap at UFC 78: Validation. Did you forget about that fight? Because you are not alone, brother. Another fun fact: Of the 8 fights to take place between The Ultimate Fighter winners, just three of those fights have ended inside the distance (Danzig KO’d Joe Stevenson at UFC 124, Evans KO’d Griffin at UFC 92 and Robert Whittaker TKO’d Colton Smith at UFC 160).

What does this all mean? That McGee vs. Gastelum will likely go the distance. Unless Gastelum comes out like he did against Brian Melancon, in which case McGee is a dead man. Again.

Also recently booked for UFC on FOX 9…


(Gastelum celebrates after beating the brakes off Brian Melancon at Fight Night 27. Photo via Getty Images) 

Earlier today, UFC officials announced that TUF winners Kelvin Gastelum (season 17) and Court McGee (season 11) have been booked to face one another at UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson. Featuring a pair of guaranteed barnburners in Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown and Ian McCall vs. Scott Jorgensen, as well as Joe Lauzon vs. Mac Danzig and Chad Mendes vs. Nik Lentz, UFC on FOX 9 transpires at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento on December 14th.

The matchup is the latest in the long history of TUF winners fighting one another — the inaugural fight being Rashad Evans and Michael Bisping‘s headlining scrap at UFC 78: Validation. Did you forget about that fight? Because you are not alone, brother. Another fun fact: Of the 8 fights to take place between The Ultimate Fighter winners, just three of those fights have ended inside the distance (Danzig KO’d Joe Stevenson at UFC 124, Evans KO’d Griffin at UFC 92 and Robert Whittaker TKO’d Colton Smith at UFC 160).

What does this all mean? That McGee vs. Gastelum will likely go the distance. Unless Gastelum comes out like he did against Brian Melancon, in which case McGee is a dead man. Again.

Also recently booked for UFC on FOX 9…

Edson Barboza, the man who secretly underwent a procedure to have his original legs replaced by metal ones back in 2006 (it was a risky operation, but totally worth it), will face Danny Castillo in a classic striker vs. grappler match up. Since seeing his unblemished record tarnished by Jamie Varner at UFC 146, Barboza has scored back-to-back stoppage victories over Lucas Martins (submission due to strikes*) and Rafaello Oliveira (leg kicks of Death).

Castillo is also riding a two-fight win streak at the moment, having collected a pair of upset decision victories over Paul Sass and Tim Means at UFC on FUEL 7 and UFC on FOX 8, respectively. Methinks Castillo’s strategy of holding a motherfucker down and pitter-pattering the piss out of him will once again be on full display here. Unless Barboza can stop the takedown, in which case Castillo is a dead man.

*For some reason, Sherdog currently lists Barboza’s win over Martins as coming via TKO (retirement). You can watch a video of the fight here, but Martins clearly taps to strikes, in any case. 

–J. Jones

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Court McGee Added to UFC on Fox 9

The UFC on Fox 9 main event recently received a makeover when Josh Thomson stepped in for the still-injured TJ Grant. Now the remainder of the card is filling out.
First it was the addition of Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown, now it is another w…

The UFC on Fox 9 main event recently received a makeover when Josh Thomson stepped in for the still-injured TJ Grant. Now the remainder of the card is filling out.

First it was the addition of Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown, now it is another welterweight affair, this one between a pair of Ultimate Fighter winners, namely Kelvin Gastelum and Court McGee.

The fight announcement was made by Gastelum via his Twitter account.

Gastelum will enter the December tussle coming off of a sensational performance against Brian Melancon. After cinching up a TUF title at 185, the 21-year-old dropped a division for his encore bout and officially announced his presence at welterweight with a first-round submission victory.

With the win, Gastelum marked himself as one of the division’s top prospects. He’ll have the opportunity to solidify that lofty title when he takes on McGee at UFC on Fox 9.

Like Gastelum, “The Crusher” made his mark in the UFC by winning a TUF title at 185. After following up with some brief success at middleweight, McGee hit a pair of roadblocks in the form of Costa Philippou and Nick Ring. He then made the decision to drop down to 170, a move that has since paid off in a big way.

Since making the drop, McGee has righted the ship, posting a 2-0 record. Most recently he used his trademark pressuring attack to outpoint Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 27 back in August.

The Gastelum vs. McGee matchup is a solid addition to a UFC on Fox 9 card that is looking very…very strong. 

With an impressive performance either man could vault himself up the divisional ladder, likely gaining the footing for a fight against a top-10 opponent. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Court McGee, Dylan Andrews and Hatsu Hioki’s Reputation Get Hit with Indefinite Medical Suspensions


(Remember winning matches in Mortal Kombat when your guy has one sliver of health left? That’s what happened here. Photo via Getty Images.)

By Matt Saccaro

The Indiana Gaming Commission handed seven UFC Fight Night 27 fighters medical suspensions. Two of these fighters, Court McGee and Dylan Andrews, fared worse than the others. They both received indefinite medical suspensions, meaning they’ll need to be cleared by a physician before they can do anything meaningful.

Court McGee won a grueling split decision over TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. And Dylan Andrews, after getting thrown around for two rounds, knocked out Papy Abedi in the third round but claimed in the post-fight interview to have damaged his shoulder. Attentive viewers might have noticed that Andrews couldn’t put his arm through the sleeve of his shirt after the fight— never a good sign. But, officially, the Commission has yet to disclose any specific injuries he may have suffered.

There were other medical suspensions, though they were not as severe:


(Remember winning matches in Mortal Kombat when your guy has one sliver of health left? That’s what happened here. Photo via Getty Images.)

By Matt Saccaro

The Indiana Gaming Commission handed seven UFC Fight Night 27 fighters medical suspensions. Two of these fighters, Court McGee and Dylan Andrews, fared worse than the others. They both received indefinite medical suspensions, meaning they’ll need to be cleared by a physician before they can do anything meaningful.

Court McGee won a grueling split decision over TUF: Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. And Dylan Andrews, after getting thrown around for two rounds, knocked out Papy Abedi in the third round but claimed in the post-fight interview to have damaged his shoulder. Attentive viewers might have noticed that Andrews couldn’t put his arm through the sleeve of his shirt after the fight— never a good sign. But, officially, the Commission has yet to disclose any specific injuries he may have suffered.

There were other medical suspensions, though they were not as severe:

Getting his face run through the deli slicer that is Carlos Condit earned Martin Kampmann a 30-day suspension with no contact during training for 14 days.

Papy Abedi will have a 60-day suspension (with no contact during 30 of those days) to contemplate his knockout loss to Dylan Andrews. Ironically, Abedi lost the fight but received a shorter suspension than Andrews.

Justin Edwards got a 30-day suspension with no contact for the entire duration of the suspension, which is remarkably short for the ass-kicking Brandon Thatch inflicted on him.

Hatsu Hioki received a two week suspension with no contact for two weeks. Fortunately, the myth of Hioki ever being a top-echelon fighter has received an indefinite suspension with his loss to Darren Elkins.

Finishing out the medical suspensions, Roger Bowling was suspended for 60 days on account of those totally legal knees he ate. Something tells me that he won’t be receiving a win bonus like his opponent Abel Trujillo did.